Asian Americana: Internet Round-Up

To kick off 2014, we’re starting a weekly round-up of what we find interesting in Asian America. For tips and submissions, tweet at us at @ProjectAsIAm or email us at asiamproject@gmail.com!

On Our Radar

We’re all thrilled (see: fucking thrilled) that Cece McDonald got released from prison, and y’all should check out #becauseofcece started by the wonderful Janet Mock. But as Mariame Kaba (@prisonculture) notes, “Let’s not forget the injustice that she was ever incarcerated in the first place. Let’s also remember that she is still dogged by the ‘invisible shackles of the carceral state’ so it behooves us to reframe the idea of ‘freedom.'”

On David Byunghyun Lee’s much circulated Transformed Into White Gods: What Happens In America Without Love” — we’re gonna give his Universal Voice For All Asian Americans Ever as well as his non-critique of systems of oppression the side eye. Nevertheless, we think his story is heartfelt, naked, and in many ways all so familiar for transnational Asian Americans: white supremacy as assimilation and internalized racism. This shit is so real.

Amy Chua works the PR machine to sell her and her husband’s latest book, The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America. As the Asian American blogosphere’s response ranged from outrage to derision, we especially appreciate A Word on Amy Chua by Soya Jung of ChangeLab and #NotYourAsianTigerMom: The Backstory by Professor Ellen D. Wu, which take the time to explain what is problematic about claiming that some ethnicities are just more superior than others. [Editor’s note: We’re not gonna forget she’s co-authoring this with her husband, Jed Rubenfeld, and that they (and all the other misguided fools working on this book) all need to take responsibility for distributing these ideas.]

New York City The South Asian Women’s Creative Collective’s (SAWCC) visual arts show in Queens will close tomorrow, January 18. Check the event out on Facebook!

Call to Action

Boston Chinatown is the only neighborhood in the city without a public library although it used to have one until a major highway displaced it and a thousand-plus residents 57 years ago. In the midst of gentrification, Chinatown needs a library more than ever. Sign the petition!

Online On January 23, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will host a Google Hangout in Mandarin Chinese to discuss the health insurance marketplace. Read more at Angry Asian Man.

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Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @ProjectAsIAm!

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